SailorSam wrote:
The usual...oppression, lack of opportunity and dreams of freedom. He was a bit naive about what he'd find here but he was badass enough to windsurf across the open ocean so he'll do better here for sure.
I know what you're getting at, though. I'm from a former eastern bloc country too and there are a LOT of people even today (50+ mostly) who talk about the good old times pre-1989. Sure, some of the romanticize the past and gloss over the gross mistreatment of dissidents. But many actually have a point and that is - masses of average and below average folks don't actually benefit from more freedom. Life is complicated and stressful and just keeping up is a ton of work. I can see the allure of the government taking care of you - especially if it does a good job. That's a matter of expectations and perceptions and a whole another can of worms ;)
Well every Pole, Ukranian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, and Russian I know who lived under Communist government fucking hated it and love American freedom. Seriously they run the gamut of political views, social views, and economic views (age even some left as kids teena adults elderly) , but all of them when you bring up Communism in the home country make Reagan look like a soft commie lover.